Filter



O. A. KEHLE Jupe ll, 1940.

FILTER Filed March 3, 1939 l lli w `Parenteel June 11, 1940 ottmar A.Kehle, West Les Angeles, Calif., as-

signor t Sterling Products Company, Los Angeles County, Calif., acorporation of California i Application March 3, 1939,`Serial No.,259,564 s` claims. (ol. 18s- 67) My invention has todo with ltersand,more particularly, relates toiilters of the baille type. One of thechief uses of such devices is for interposition in air linesto removeany `moisture or l foreign matter before the air stream reaches the toolor machine which it is to operate. l

While of course filters using baffles for separatingunoisture andforeign matter from air linesare well known in the'art, I havefound 1Uthoseliilters of the prior art to possess certain i rather seriousshortcomings which have materiallyreducecl their efficiency. `Forinstance, for the most part prior art filters lackmeans for insuringthat the precipitation of the moisture le from theair line will"takeplace at the most desirable point and they lack design and structurewhich will afford the greatest filtering efficiency commensurate withtherelative size of the lter device. Another fault I have found 20 isthat, `due totheir design and association of parts', even after themoisture is precipitated out or the air stream, an objectionable amountof itis again picked up and` carried out of the filter `ih the stream. Ihave discovered improvements whereby theseand other faults areeffectively cured. i t Forinstance, one of the aims accomplishedkby mynew filter isthe provision of simple means for directing and`controlling the fair ustream so that maximum precipitation will beeffected.

`Another aim and accomplishment is my novel means and combinationwhereby the moisture or` foreign matter is'precipitated out of the airstream at a point inthe device at which it will not be again pickedupjand carried out by the departing air stream. l l

Another aim and accomplishment `is vthe provision of a filter which maybeof relatively small size in relation toits filtering capacity andefficiency. l i 4 Another featureof mynvention is theprovision of afilter `utilizing parts which have certain critical relationships toother parts with reference to size, which critical relationships l5 forma part of my discovery. l Still another` object `and ,aim is theprovision of a filter which, due toits simplicity and design, may beeconomically manufactured and, which is extremely easy to disassemblefor cleaning pur- 01 poses. H

.n `.Although .I have `specifically recited` someof theprincipalfobjects, it will be apparent from*` the followingdescription,` that `other objects and 5 accomplishments are inherent inmy invention.

For the purposesof said description, I shall refer to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a Vertical section taken on line ll-l of Fig. 2; and .t l

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Fig. l.V 5. Generallyspeaking, theforegoing and other aims are l accomplished by a device comprising areceptacle and a head portion thereon. The air enteringl the head isconducted into .abafe tube or tubes through which the air is `spirallyl0 delivered into the receptacle in a stream or streams which do notreach their maximum expansion until they approach the bottom of thereceptacle. 'The inlet is at one side of the head and the outlet is at`the opposite sideof the l5 head, andthe baille tube or tubes open intothe relatively larger receptacle at a point adjacent one side of thereceptacle so that the moisture or `foreign mattercentrifugallyprecipitated from the stream is deposited at a pointrelatively re- 20 moved from the outlet. The receptacle should be ofsubstantially larger cross-sectional area `than that of the baille tubefor greater efliciency andalso each baffle tube should open into `thereceptacle in suchrelativeposition that its axial `25 plane issubstantially perpendicular to the bottom wall of the receptacle.

I shall now describe a preferred embodiment of my invention, from whichthe significance of each of those features `of construction` and"com- 30bination, as well `as other advantages flowing from my invention, willbecome obvious to those skilled intheart. l Y

Referring` to the drawing, it willlbeobserved that my filter comprises ahead il,` preferably 35 of cast metal, which has av bottom, internallythreaded, annular flange portion l, by virtue of whichthe head isscrewed onto the annular vthreaded portion 8 of receptacle@ `so that thehead has fluid tight engagement with the recep- 40 tacle. Receptacle 6is` preferably circular in cross-sectiomhaving a vertically disposedside wall anda bottom wall which tapes to a drain port 6a, into which isscrewthreaded a drain cock` 9 `of conventional form. Head 5 `andreceptacle 45 6 are each provided with a polygonal boss 5a, Bbl,respectively, for `engagement by a wrench to facilitate removing thehead from the receptacle. Head 5` has an inlet port l0 leading from anair line, not shown, and the air stream entering therethrough is dividedby barrier 5b' so that it is discharged equally into two parallel, vertically disposed balile tubes I l and l2 in the head. Parallel totubesIl and I2 there is an outlet chamber I5 which is formed by the `tubularwall miy portions I5 of the head, and has an outlet port I1 leading fromchamber I5 to the air line.

Ports Il) and I'I are threaded to receive suitable connecting pipes.Adjacent the lower end of chamber I5 there is a screen 20 which ismounted by being held against shoulder 2l by a split spring ring 22,partly shown in elevation in Fig. 1`. Recesses lli and Illa are providedin the head adjacent the tubes II, I2 and I6, said recesses I 4 and Maopening into the receptacle Having described the componente-.l elementsand arrangements of my device, I will now eX'i-'l As the moisture-ladenair.,

plain its operation. stream. enters through inlet port `I0,.it will beseparated by barrier 5a and will thus enter the said tubes Il and I2substantially tangential and will be directed spirally downwardlythrough the open end of the tubes I I and I2 into the relatively largerreceptacle E, at which point the velocityy is substantially `reduced byvirtue of the relatively larger cross-sectional area of the receptacle.The spiral movement of the air streams causes the moisture to beprecipitated out by the resultant centrifugal action andthe moisturethus` thrown against tube walls I I, I2 andthe inner wall of thereceptacle, will drain or be thrown to the bottom of the receptaclewhere it may be removed through drain cock 9. Thence the air streamwill' travel `along the opposite wall of the receptacle and outwardlythrough screen 2U into chamber I5, from whence it passes throughrestrictedoutlet II into the air line, not shown.`

For efficient operation', I have found that the receptacle should have aminimum size with respect to the cross-sectional area of the bailletubes. For instance, I have found that the crosssectional area of thereceptacle'should be at least the settled water in the receptacle. Ihave found this to be an advantageous featurefin that there is -lesstendency for the air stream to pick up and carry away any of themoisture or foreign matter already deposited. Y h

. In operation, any normal amount of moisture carried in the air stream.entering the filter will be precipitated out within the tubes Il and I2and within that portion of the receptacle under thetubes, so that theair stream will be substantiallyfree of moisture as it approaches thepoint at which the outlet communicates with the receptacle. Inasmuch asthe open areaof the out--` let from the receptacle tothe head ismaterially restricted by the screen 20,there willbe a second expanslonin the outlet chamber` I5 above the screen which willcause any moistureor matter which might still be carried by the air stream' to bedeposited in chamber I5. The baffle tubes I I and I2 should besuiliciently long in proportion to ,their diameter as torspiral the airstream downwardly into the receptacle at a velocityl which is capable of`centrifugally precipitating the moisture fromthe air stream. i Forinstance, I have found it desirable' to have each `of thev baille tubesabout 1% in diameter and about 1% in length. Y rThus by virtueofthoseelongated tubular baf-V fles theA airis directed into thereceptacle intwo 2,204,017 lil Y parallel, spiral streams, and. themaximum spread of those air streams is not reached until they approachthe bottom of the receptacle, so that little or no moisture is depositedimmediately adjacent the outlet. Thus my improved device will functionefficiently even at relatively high veloiiy.V

Any moisture thrown against the walls of tubes Il and I2 will move toand form in drops around periphery of the outlet end of tubes II and fIZand will thus drop or be carried by the air stream to the bottom ofthe receptacle without falling,v into and being carried out by theoutgoing air. y

Byvirtue of the baille tubes opening into the receptacle adjacent one ofits sides, and the outlet communicating with the receptacle adjacent theopposite side, and by virtue of the airstream beingrdirected downwardlytowards the Vbottom of this receptacle, all combined with the'receptacle having asubstantially larger cross-sectional area than thatof each of the baille tubes, I find that there is always a relativelydry area at and adjacent the outlet yfromrthe receptacle to the chamberI 5.

While in the foregoing description I have resorted to= considerabledetail of use, structure and arrangement, it will be understood that my.invention is not to be necessarily confined to such details but that itmay be modiiled vand used within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: f

l. A separator comprising a fluid receptacle, a head mounted thereomanelongated baffle tube in the head, said tube having oneoi its endsopening into thereceptacle and being disposed longitudinally in the headadjacent the periphery thereof, an inlet passage in the head commun;-cating tangentially with said tube at a point adjacent the other endthereof, and an outlet passage in the head, said passage communicatingwith the receptacle ata point laterally spaced from the point at whichsaid tube Opens into the f receptacle.

2. A separator comprising a uid receptacle, said receptacle being roundin cross-section, a head mounted on the receptacle, ya pair of parallelbaflle tubes in the head, each of said tubes being closedat one end andhaving its other end communicating with the receptacle adjacent one sidethereof, an inlet port intersecting both said baille tubes at a pointadjacent'the closed end thereof, and-an outlet 'passage in the head,said outletpassage communicating with ythe receptacleat a pointvlaterally spaced from the point at which the baille tubes communicatewith the receptacle. u

3'. -Aseparator comprising a fluid receptacle, said receptacle beinground in cross-section, a head mounted on the receptacle, a pair ofparal` lel, elongated baille. tubes mounted longitudinally in'theghead,`each of said tubes being closed at oneend and. having itsY otherA endcommunicating with the receptacle adjacent one side thereof, an outletchamber in the head, said chamber being parallel to said'baflle tubesand communieating atone endwith the receptacle at a point diametricallyspaced from saidbaffle tubes, a screen mounted in that end of `thechamber which communicates with the receptacle, and a restricted outletport in the head providing ycommunication from thesaid chamber to theair line. H

L A separatorcomprising a fluid receptacle, a headmounted thereon, apairof baillel tubes in the head, each of said tubes being closed atits topend and opening at its bottom end into the i receptacle, said tubesbeing positioned parallel in the head between `intersection, saidbarrier being opposite the axis 1o `to and closely adjacent each other,an inlet passage communicating at one end with said air line and at itsother end intersecting saidtubes' at a point adjacent the top endthereof, a barrier the tubes at said point of communicating with thereceptacle.

5. A separator for interposition in an` air line including: a verticallydisposed iiuidreceptacle having an open to-p end and a bottom end whichtapers downwardly and inwardly to its center, a drain port in the centerof said bottom portion, a head removably mounted on the open end of thereceptacle, a pair of parallel, elongated, vertically disposed bailletubes in the head,

each of said tubes being closed at its upper end `and opening at itsother end into the receptacle at a point adjacent the side Wallthereof,` an air inlet opening in the head intersecting said tubes wat apoint adjacent the closed end thereof, barrier means on the tubesopposite said point of intersection for dividing the air stream anddirecting same into said tubes, an outlet chamber in the head parallelto said tubes, said chamber communicating with` the receptacle at apoint spaced from `the point at which said baiile tubes open into thereceptacle, and an outlet port in the head communicating at one end withsaid chamber and at its other end with theair line.

6. A separator comprising `a body having a head portion and a receptacleportion, a pair of parallel cylindric baffle tubes in the head andopening into the receptacle, an inlet in the headl and communicatingwith the baffle tube, said inlet being disposed tangentally of the tubesand opening into one of the tubes` at one side there-` ci and openinginto the other tube at the adjacent side thereof whereby iiuiddischarged from the inlet into saidtubes is caused to swirl in oppositedirections, and an outlet passage leading from said receptacle.

7 A separator comprising a fiuid receptacle having a substantiallyvertical axis, a head on and forming a closure for the receptacle, abaffle tube in the head and disposed in a plane parallei to the saidaxis of the receptacle, said tube i being closed at its top end andopening at its l other end into the receptacle at a point adjacent aside wail thereof and spaced a substantial distance above the bottom ofthe receptacle, a uid inlet in the head and opening substantiallytangentially into the tube at a point adjacent the top end thereof, andan outlet from the receptacle,` said outlet communicating with thereceptacle at a point laterally spaced from the point at which thebaiile tube opens into the receptacle.

`8. The device of claim '7 in which the interior of the receptacle isunobstructed `and of a crosssectional area substantially greater thanthat of the baiile tube so as to permit free expansion and movement of afluid stream within the receptacle.

O'I'TMAR A. KEHLE.`

CERTIFICATE 0E CORRECTION. Patent No.' 2,20Lho17. June 11, 19m.

CTTMAR A. KEHLE.

It is hereby certified, that A error ppears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,first column, line ?2, for "tubes about l E/ll' read `tubes about ll/)i' and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thiscorrection` therein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 27th day of August, A. D. lQlLO.

` n Henry. Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting; Commissioner of Patents.

